1999 Assessment Plan

Introductory Sections: Mission and History

• Mission, Philosophy, and Purpose

• Introduction

• History of the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College

• Accreditation Background

MISSION

The mission of the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College is to provide, within the Indian community, a system of post-secondary and continuing education with associate degree and certificate granting capabilities.

In carrying out the mission, the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College curriculum will reflect Ojibwa culture and tribal self-determination.  The college will provide opportunities for individual self-improvement in a rapidly changing technological world, while maintaining the cultural integrity of the Ojibwa.

 Philosophy 

The college curriculum will reflect identified needs and interests of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa by providing academic, vocational, adult basic education, cultural, and community programs.  The primary purpose is to meet the needs of the Indian population and maintain an open door policy.

Purpose Statement 

Academic Opportunity 

·         Provide quality instruction for academic and personal enhancement.

·         Offer appropriate curriculum leading to Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, and Associate of Applied Science degrees, one-year certificates, specialized certificates and programs of cultural enrichment.

 Student Services 

·         Maintain open enrollment.

·         Foster student growth in areas of cultural interest and social development as well as in academic performance.

 Community Outreach 

·         Help develop resources and technical assistance for community projects and community research.

·         Function as an information and educational resource in the community.

·         Provide leadership for cultural preservation.

·         Facilitate training for tribal economic development.

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Introduction 

There are a number of different definitions of academic assessment.  The definition adopted by the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College (LCOOCC) is that created by our College’s regional accrediting body, North Central Association Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (NCA) and reads:

Assessment is an ongoing process aimed at understanding and improving student learning. It involves making our expectations explicit and public; setting appropriate criteria and high standards for learning quality; systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine how well performance matches those expectations and standards; and using the resulting information to document, explain, and improve performance. When it is embedded effectively within larger institutional systems, assessment can help us focus our collective attention, examine our assumptions, and create a shared academic culture dedicated to assuring and improving the quality of higher education.  (AAHE Bulletin, November, 1995, p.7)

            Among North Central's most important criteria for academic assessment are the following:       

1.  the plan must be linked to the college's mission, goals, and objectives for student learning and academic achievement;

2.  it must be carefully articulated with faculty participation but administered college-wide;

3.  it must lead to institutional improvement of teaching and learning;

4. the timeline for the assessment program must be realistic and appropriate; and

5. the assessment program must be administered appropriately.

            In response to Section IV: Team Recommendation and Rationale, of the North Central Association (NCA) team report of April 22, 1998:

Criterion III:  The institution is accomplishing its educational and other purposes.

“The College partially meets this requirement because it offers authorized degree and certificate programs which are compatible with its mission statement and which reflect acceptable patterns in higher education.

However, the College must develop a consistent, coherent program to assess student academic outcomes at both the course and program/degree level.  The program must follow the guidelines established by the NCA.

The College was cited for not having a student academic assessment program in its initial attempt at full accreditation in November, 1992; this deficit caused a focus visit in March, 1996.

The NCA, through its staff in Chicago, and within its membership in its 19 state region, stands ready and willing to help the College overcome this barrier and move on to the next set of challenges.”

Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College has developed an assessment plan appropriate to the institution and supporting information and enhanced communication of student outcomes.  This academic assessment plan at its quintessence, through the systematic collection and analysis of information on student outcomes, promises to support the continuing pursuit for educational excellence.  This plan has been developed by the Assessment Committee in cooperation with the Planning Committee, Self-Study Committee, broad collaboration with the faculty, and is supported by the Administration.

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History of the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College

            The first efforts to provide postsecondary learning opportunities revolved around a field-based teacher-training model conducted in the K-12 school system that was aimed at state certification of Indian teacher aides.  The Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa School contracted with Mount Senario College to provide instruction to 30 adult students through a grant that was acquired through the Office of Indian Education.  It was also arranged for adult vocational technical courses to be taught on the reservation as a result of a needs assessment survey which had been conducted throughout the reservation.  These services were provided by the Wisconsin Vocational Technical Institute from 1978-1983.

            In 1982, a tribal task force of educators and parents were assembled, partially as a response to the treatment of Indian students in the Hayward School system.  The task force began to explore educational choices and opportunities that eventually led to the formation of the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College. In August 1982, the Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Governing Board chartered the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College and provided the original Articles of Incorporation.  An LCO tribal resident and educator, John Anderson, was selected as the college's first president. 

            Volunteer instructors who were drawn from a pool of local educators and cultural specialists taught the first classes.  A library/classroom was set up at the Tribal Center for classes which were held during the day, and in the evening, classes were held at the Lac Courte Oreilles High School.  During the second semester, classes were conducted in the same manner and location; however the instructors were paid through a subsidy, in part from the LCO Department of Education and the Indian Vocational Education Grant.

            The Bureau of Indian Affairs, after conducting two on-site evaluations, notified the college that it had fulfilled all requirements and was approved for funding for the following fiscal year under Public Law 95-471; the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act of 1978.  This law continues to be the prime source of funding for the college, which reimburses the college for each Indian student enrolled on a full-time basis.

            The college continued to hold classes in the Tribal Center in the 1983-1984 school year.  During that year, credit transfer agreements were signed with eight colleges and universities in the Wisconsin and Minnesota areas.  Student enrollment continued to increase, and the college was becoming better established in the area communities.  In June of 1984, the college awarded its first certificates of completion in the Community Health Educator program.

            In the fall of 1986, the college was moved from the Tribal Center to the old Tribal Print Shop building.  The building was remodeled to contain two classrooms and three offices.  The college operated with a minimal number of operational personnel and a handful of adjunct faculty.  In the spring of that same year, the college granted its first Associate of Arts degrees in a May graduation ceremony.

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 Accreditation Background

            Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College began its affiliation with North Central Association early in its years as a community college and has continued to benefit from the support of this relationship. 

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